This invention relates to toe protectors or guards for protecting a person's toes from injury, protecting a previous injury from aggravation, or protecting the toe portion of a shoe from wear. The invention is particularly well suited for use in athletics, e.g., for protecting a baseball player's toes from injury.
It is well known that toe and foot injuries frequently occur in many sports, including for example, baseball, football and soccer. As a result, various athletic to and instep protectors have been designed for the purpose of preventing such injuries. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,248, issued June 8, 1982 to Samuel Samuels and U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,055, issued Dec. 2, 1969 to Pinkey Herman. These prior protectors have not been entirely satisfactory, however, for the reason that they tend to restrict biomechanical motion of the athlete's foot. In athletics, particularly at the professional level, it is necessary to maintain unrestricted biomechanical motion of the foot and toes.
Excessive wear of shoes can also be a problem. For example, children may drag their toes along the ground when riding skate boards. Toe dragging can cause rapid and severe wear to a child's shoe.
In the prior art, the devices for attaching toe protectors to shoes has not been entirely satisfactory. Compare, for example, Samuels U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,889 where the protector is stitched to the shoe and Samuels U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,248 wherein the protector is attached to the shoe with a zipper. There has been a need for a toe protector that can be securely attached, and yet be easily removed from the shoe.